Famine (DRAMAtical Murder fanfic)

Chapter 2

In the past, I always viewed daytime as the best part of my day. It was the time I could go out and do what I wanted, go to work and hang out with coworkers, be me.

Now, it was like a droning horror. My home, an apartment on the fifth floor, was freezing. It was kept this way to try and make me feel more comfortable, but it didn't work very well. My body was burning to the touch, a side effect of the disease. If I didn't eat, and soon, I'd die.

My landlord found out about my infection the second day of me having it. I'd been in the middle of a mental breakdown, and she'd comforted me as best she could. She refused to turn me in to the police to be locked away with the others they caught, and even helped hide me. She told me she didn't want me to pay rent anymore, which was fine with me since I couldn't work anyways. My nocturnal life became normal to her.

Even so, she turned in any others she found. It surprised me, her unwillingness to send me there, but I never asked why.

I watched from my window as the sun slowly set, the noise on the street quieting to the occasional laughter of teens walking home from clubbing. Satisfied when my Coil blinked green at me, I roused myself from my bed. I dressed casually, just a brown t-shirt and sweatpants a few sizes too small, with a black hoodie. The sweatpants were given to me by my landlord: none of my others had fit me after the dramatic weight loss that came with the disease.

I downed a few of the experimental tablets a friend of mine was working on before leaving. I didn't bother locking my door. I never have. My friend is also infected, but since he once worked at a pharmaceutical company, he's been trying to make a medicine that calms the hunger down. Once he's succeeded with that, he'll work on a cure. In return for his work, and the pills he gives me, I bring him whatever normal food I can find. Before I met him, I stocked up on it myself, but now I give it all to him.

My personal reason for turning to cannibalism.

My breath frosts lightly in the air, a reminder of winter's arrival. I make sure I'm far from home before finally paying attention to who'd make good prey. I actually normally avoid homes, preferring to grab someone on the street. People are harder to track down that way.

A young guy, looking to be in his twenties, is walking down the street, a blue spitz at his heels. I step out from the dark alley, slowly catching up to him. My pulse races, hunger stirring up at the thought of a meal. I hear my breath thin, becoming quiet, my footsteps only making a very soft tapping sound. As I get closer, I notice the guy has blue hair, and dresses, well, oddly. Even I have more fashion sense than that. I take my hands out of my pockets, my once dry mouth now on the verge of making me drool. I don't care that my hood is down, exposing my identity. It doesn't matter, the kid won't be alive to report me soon enough.

Just a little closer.....!

A figure stepped out from another street, greeting the boy I was following. Annoyance flew through me, before everything seemed to slow down. The man turned, looking at me and pausing. The kid turns to look as well, horror filling his golden eyes at the sight of me so close. I was still a few meters away, but he'd never noticed me. The sound of my right foot hitting the ground seemed much louder than normal.

The man... was the same. Those crimson eyes, which I'd never forget. They seemed to burn into me, fear lancing through my body. It was so sudden, I forgot to think. Instinct took over, and I bolted. I'd nearly made it back to the alleyway that would take me back into the darkness, when the horror seemed to thicken.

The electronic barking of a police hound was my only warning. A warning I never got to heed. A loud sound, followed by horrible pain. I cried out, my knees hitting the pavement. The world slowed again, the barking muffled and far away. My gaze turned to the pair, their expressions unreadable. I focused in on those crimson eyes. Something within me got me standing, and I made for the alleyway again. This time, I made it, disappearing within the dark maze.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I blinked, unable to do much else. Aoba and I'd agreed to meet after his work, and walk to Tae's together. I had never expected to see him again.

The infected person who'd attacked me. Seeing him on his feet was an entirely different perspective. He was tall, probably a little taller than me. His clothes helped him blend into the shadows, but were everyday items. His jacket had seemed to hang on him, as if it were made for a larger person.

He'd fled at the sight of me, but I didn't expect the police to show up and shoot him. He'd fallen, the whole thing a blur as he'd stumbled into an alleyway. The police chased after him, the usual Rottweiler AllMate leading the chase. As the sounds grew farther away, I turned to Aoba. He seemed fixated upon the spot the infected had stood.

"Aoba, you alright?"

"Y-yeah... Just a little spooked, I guess... I didn't even notice him. I didn't realize this area was a hunting ground.."

"It's not. Or at least, it wasn't before. Come on. Tae's waiting."

He started walking at my urging, both of us hurrying to get to a safe place. That night, as I lay in bed, I couldn't help but wonder.

Was the diseased guy okay? Had he made it away from the police? Why does it matter?

Why?